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Altair astro lightwave 66mm ed + lunt HW

Solar_observer

By Solar_observer
in Observing - Solar

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Pig

Pig

Posted
Posted

Not too sure about that !!!!!!!  I don't think smaller makes the image a lot better :shocked:

I wouldn't say aperture is the best option for Skem either, based on the budget mentioned earlier in the thread, with solar 80 -100mm is pretty spectacular :laugh:

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Stu

Stu

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The TAL would be pretty good I reckon. I mainly use an 85mm with mine and it is beautifully sharp with lovely detail. The 120ED would be cracking too though, I had one for a while and loved it.

The comments about the focuser are worth noting though, I find a good dual speed really handy for solar because accurate focus is critical.

Aperture, within reason ie 120 or below is worth having, but then so is a scope you will use regularly and is well mounted and easy to use.

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Luke

Luke

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Hmmm, well any aperture is nice, and I use my 60mm the most for grab and go.

Me personally, I like 100mm upwards as my main at-home solar scope. My two biggest fracs for solar are 100mm  and 120mm. I tend to use the 100mm for observing (goes a bit nicer on the giro mount and I find the detail pretty high already) and the 120mm for imaging.

I think aperture generally rules over quality of optics, I prefer the view in my Skywatcher ED100 DS-Pro than in my Tele Vue 85, and I would say all in all the Tele Vue is sharper and has a touch more contrast generally, I do consider it the better scope optically (though the SW is very, very good, and arguably the better value).

If I was observing only, I would probably go the 100 myself of my two scopes (Skywatcher ED100 DS-Pro and Skywatcher Equinox 120).

I have had a 66mm that outperformed an 80mm, I can only assume the 80mm is not quite up to scratch.

Maybe a cheaper scope would do as well, I can't say as I have not tested. But I also use my fracs for planets and deep sky so to me I might as well spend a bit more.

At higher mag, a decent focuser helps.

As far as I know, the Skywatcher ED-100s go for a bit of a bargain second hand. It is a seriously good scope, it is frankly all the scope I need for solar observing (it's superb with the Quark for h-alpha too), more is a nice luxury.

Hope the thoughts help.

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Stu

Stu

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I tend to just use the Continuum, but as Shane says you can use both. Having the polariser in aswell allows you to rotate the eyepiece to vary the brightness of the view. As a minimum you need one or the other.

You will absolutely see penumbral detail with a wedge, the views are amazing.

These are sketches done through an 85mm scope.... I normally use around x50 which is plenty

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Solar_observer

Solar_observer

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Well thats GREAT to hear that i would be able to see a bit of detail in the penumbra with the startravel. (Conditions permitting and certain size of spot)

This is what i was NOT able to see with my opticstar 80mm and baader film, even when conditions were good. Well apart from that HUGE spot a while back but how many times do those appear.

Im not asking for STUNNING detail but to see spots, penumbra detail and granulation BETTER than what i do now in buying this startravel 120mm AND a herschel wedge would make it worthwhile.

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Stu

Stu

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I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. Granulation is always very dependent on seeing conditions, but also different apertures and magnifications make a difference. I think the polariser can sometimes help with this by being able to vary the brightness.

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Stu

Stu

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Oh.....if the polariser is screwed into the bottom of the eyepiece and then the eyepiece is put into the foccuser and then tightened up, how do you adjust the brightness?

That's easy, just don't tighten it up! You can rotate it then tighten once you've got it where you want it, or some just leave it loose. So long as your wedge is securely fastened there's not much chance of the eyepiece falling out.

Note that I usually use Orthos or Plossls which are quite lightweight so this works well. I'm more cautious if using the Leica Zoom!

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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I tend to use my Seben 8-24mm zoom for white light so would have been using up to 75x. Every now and again I could use my 11mm plossl with a 2x barlow element (effectively a 6.9mm eyepiece so 87x). With all these options I was seeing detail in the penumbra on a regular basis and when seeing was really good, I could see the individual strands and on a couple of occasions saw bright penumbral grains. You can see all the available detail at these sorts of magnifications.

I’d expect similar magnifications with my 120mm ED. Recently the 11mm plossl provided lovely views at 82x.

With my 100mm PST mod I regularly use my 9mm Nagler (111x) and sometimes the 8mm on the zoom. Detail generally holds up.

Hope this helps.

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